Building Atlas
Like anything we’ve ventured into, Atlas was birthed in the middle of movement. In the middle of telling campfire stories by the sea. In the middle of unpacking at base camp, or lugging our backpack in a crowded airport terminal, or sometimes, waiting for our turn during sustainability conferences and circular economy workshops.
In the Philippines where the transition to a low-impact lifestyle is trodden by the privileged with a majority of the market left with no choices, there seems to be a gridlock between what should be done for the planet and what can be done given our resources as a people. So, for us, the solution was easy: we would just bring as many everyday sustainability choices to the Philippine market as possible.
What really pushed the idea from thought to manifestation though was stillness. In March 2020, we were quarantined from the rest of the world, like the rest of the world. With all our field projects on a standstill, we were forced to focus our restlessness, itchy feet and all, to projects that generated the impact while our trusty backpacks were stowed in the closet.
As a brand, we see Atlas as a trail that leads to our planet’s regeneration through sustainable consumption. We curate the most low-impact, durable, and well-designed solution brands from accredited and trustworthy hybrid companies, and make them available to Filipinos in one click.
It’s not a novel concept, this digitalization of sustainability. What we hope would make it fly though beyond the use of the green proposition for profit would be that Atlas becomes a rendezvous point for fellow restless souls that aim to reconnect themselves to our planet. The wave riders and mountain climbers, city walkers and transits, artists and tree whisperers. These are the people who don’t quite make it to the broadsheets, opting instead to operate under the radar in order to live a life closest to the beating heart of nature. We call these crazy bunch our Voices, Vanguards, and Voyagers. And we’re on the lookout to find them.
At Atlas, it’s always Day One at the base camp. Hike the trail with us. Full disclosure, it’s not an easy climb. But we’ll bring the gear, and the view’s worth it.